Review of A Conversation with God by Alton Gansky

"Conversations” ~ also called chats, talks, discussions, dialogues, and banters in the English Thesaurus. That implies two or more people sharing ideas or information, opinions and feelings…but how can that happen with a God who cannot tangibly be seen, touched, heard, tasted or smelled? Quite easily, actually! Through the written Scripture, by promptings in our spirit during prayer and at times through a spoken word by a friend or mentor God speaks His will. Alton Gansky has done an implausible work in his book A Conversation With God in bringing answers to some of life’s mysteries and questions, by helping the reader more intimately relate to the heart of the God of the Universe. Gansky’s writing style is simplistic, yet profound.

In this rich volume of common but difficult questions are reliable answers, complete with Scripture references provided for the reader to delve further into discovering answers. Questions covered include, but are not limited to:

v God, who are You? “I am a Being with intellect, which means I think. I’m not a distant, invisible, force. I am someone who reasons and communicates. In other words, I have thoughts. You are the direct result of those thoughts” (p. 18).

v God, who are we to You?

v How do we know the Bible is accurate?

v Are we living in the end times now?

v How should we prepare for the end of the world? “Let’s be clear. There is nothing you can do to push up or delay the events of the end times, but there are things you should be doing. One thing we haven’t discussed is the need for you to be vigilant…” (p. 83).

v God, why do You allow natural calamities to kill so many people? “Death is common, but it is not natural for humans. I did not design Adam and Even to die. Death came to humanity through sin, not through intention…You do not see all history and the future as I do. You do not see what happens to those souls. I deal with eternity, and My perspective is unlimited” (p. 92).

v Why are some people rich and other poor?

v Just what is salvation?

v Can I lose my salvation?

v What is the kingdom of God?

v Jesus, are You the only way to heaven?

v What will happen to people who don’t believe? “Everyone will be resurrected…those who have rejected Jesus are resurrected to judgment. In the New Testament, the term judge means ‘to separate one thing from another.’…There are several judgments…At the judgment, no one will be asked why he sinned, only why he didn’t repent” (pp. 174-175).

v Is Satan for real?

v How can we experience peace?

v God, do You love or hate homosexuals? “I do not hate homosexuals. I do hate sin, all sin. Here is where the contemporary problem e exists. Many have responded to homosexuals with hatred. That includes some in the church. Hatred is not an option….I am not saying I approve of homosexual behavior. I’ve made it clear in the Bible that I don’t, but I don’t single out the homosexual for greater punishment than the heterosexual fornicator or adulterer” (pp. 258-259).

While this is a collection of answers, it is also an intimate portrayal of God’s love for His children…a love that knows no boundaries, an unconditional love, a forgiving love, a love offered to any who would receive Him as Lord and Savior…a passionate love for “red and yellow, black and white…all are precious in His sight!” I recommend you read this book for your own spiritual experience AND I encourage you to pay it forward and share it with others whether seasoned believers, new Christians or those still undecided about Christianity!

Disclosure for Thomas nelson book reviews

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from

Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review

bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review.

The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in

accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 :

“Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” 

Spring and New Life

2 Cor. 5:17~ “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

Rom. 6:4~ “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”

"Loves redeeming work is done! HALLELUJAH!"

Via Dolorosa ~ Sandi Patti
Down the Vía Dolorosa in Jerusalem that day
The soldiers tried to clear the narrow street
But the crowd pressed in to see
The Man condemned to die on Calvary

He was bleeding from a beating, there were stripes upon His back
And He wore a crown of thorns upon His head
And He bore with every step
The scorn of those who cried out for His death

Down the Vía Dolorosa called the way of suffering
Like a lamb came the Messiah, Christ the King,
But He chose to walk that road out of
His love for you and me.
Down the Via Dolorosa, all the way to Calvary.
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/s/sandi_patti/via_dolorosa.html ]
Por la Vía Dolorosa, triste día en Jerusalém
Los soldados le abrían paso a Jesús.
Más la gente se acercaba,
Para ver al que llevaba aquella cruz.

Por la Vía Dolorosa, que es la via del dolor
Como oveja vino Cristo, Rey y Señor,
Y fue Él quien quiso ir por su amor por ti y por mí.
Por la Vía Dolorosa al Calvario y a morir.

The blood that would cleanse the souls of all men
Made it's way through the heart of Jerusalem.

Down the Vía Dolorosa called the way of suffering
Like a lamb came the Messiah, Christ the King
But He chose to walk that road out of His love for you and me
Down the Vía Dolorosa, all the way to Calvary.

May the blessed meaning of Easter be alive in your soul every day of every year! "Because He lives" we can face anything and everything!

In the midst of beauty...

In the midst of the beauty of Spring...

...there is pain, and frustration, and inequity, and injustice, and loss~of home, friends, school, "normalcy"...

...but always there is God...and always there is hope!

God and Japan

Where is God when bad things happen to good people? Where was God when the earthquake hit Japan followed by the tsunami? He was right where He has always been~ on His throne in Heaven, looking down upon His creation with a grieving heart at His hurting people! He promised to never leave us or forsake us~ that promise is for Japan, too. Yet, our hearts break for them...even now...in the loss of life, the loss of possessions, the loss of livelihoods...even more may our hearts be broken and burdened for those "lost" from the Lord. May this tragedy be a "beginning" of new life in Christ for the masses, both in Japan and all around the world. Let revival begin, and let it begin in me...and in you! Our pastor, Pete Wilson, wrote about the devastation in Japan today and said: "I truly believe that God is most powerfully present even when He seems most apparently absent". AMEN!

Are you praying for Japan? If not, I urge you to begin doing so now! Your prayers are a sweet offering to our God!

Review of Same Life, New Story by Jan Silvious

The Bible is full of stories revolving around male characters~ Adam, Moses, Noah, Samson, Paul, Timothy, David and many more. Yet, how often do you hear about the impact and influence of women of the Bible? Though perhaps fewer in number, women were held in great esteem by God in Biblical times and are major players in God’s story today. Jan Silvious, a seasoned Bible study leader, shares the stories of Naomi, Leah, Rahab, Deborah, Hannah, Anna, Jehosheba, Abigail, Naaman’s servant girl, and Elizabeth, showing how everyday ordinary women, like us, can have major impact on the world in which we live.

With much wisdom entwined with some humor, Jan compares and contrasts issues women of the Bible faced and those women of today deal with. Because God gifted women with the unique ability to make choices, each can change her perspective on life and actually change the course life takes. By relating to these heroines of the Word, we can identify with and learn to change our approach to issues like bitterness, humiliation, depression, infertility, cultural stigmas, fear, and women trying to make it in a man’s world.

God changed the lives of each of the women whose stories are told in this book. Whether by force or choice, each of the women went from ordinary to extraordinary in testimony. In a very practical way, Jan shows the reader how simplistic it can be to alter the course of one’s life by being open to revelation from the Lord. This 10-week Bible study is designed with chapter personal reflection topics and group discussion questions. Jan Silvious weaves tapestries of life stories from Biblical characters, from her own experience, and from modern women. If you are desirous of writing a new story in your life, or if you perhaps just need a little editing to your current story, you will want to read this book!

Jan quotes Louisa Fletcher: “I wish there were some wonderful place Called the Land of Beginning Again, Where all our mistakes and All our heartaches And all our selfish grief Could be dropped like a shabby old coat at the door, And never be put on again”.

As the storyteller of your own life, you can begin again; you can drop the old and put on the new. Let Jan Silvious hold your hand through this book as you begin to write your new life! You will be glad you did, I promise you!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from

Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review

bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review.

The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in

accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 :

“Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” 

Death to Life~ A Collision with the Cross~ part 2

This is my dear friend, Vicky. Her brother, William, is the one I mentioned yesterday passed away last week at age 49....leaving behind a grieving family. Vicky is grieving her loss; yet, she has joy! Not "happiness" over the situation; but JOY! Happiness is a temporary feeling; joy is a state of heart regardless of the circumstances. And Vicky has JOY! She has joy because she knows where her brother is for all eternity~ in Heaven, face-to-face with Christ, His Savior. Some day Vicky will be with him again forever...and what a day of rejoicing that will be! She is happy because she has the blessed assurance that Jesus is hers!

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.
Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
angels descending bring from above
echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
(Refrain)

3. Perfect submission, all is at rest;
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
watching and waiting, looking above,
filled with his goodness, lost in his love.

Text: Fanny J. Crosby, 1820-1915
Music: Phoebe P. Knapp, 1839-1908

People have commented that she seems so calm during this most difficult time...that she continues to smile and seems to have it all together! Well, she does smile...and often! Now, she grieves, as well. And she knows she will continue to grieve. Yet, again, how can she live as one who has no hope? She DOES have hope...and joy...she selfishly DOES miss having her brother here with her. Yet, she would not have him come back, as her confidence lies in the fact that he is in glory with the Savior! HALLELUJAH! Let her example be for us as we will all face grief at some point. Soak in the beauty of these Destin, Florida sunsets! The "Emerald Coast"...snow white sand...crystal clear teal blue, emerald green water...there is no place I would rather be that here...well, except in Heaven. As I sat on the beach yesterday, relaxing with the sound of the roll of waves and the crests of water crashing on the beach, my toes digging down into the cool white sand, the sun bathing my body and a soft, gentle breeze blowing through my hair I stopped to ponder: this beauty does not even compare to the beauty we shall behold in Heaven! This is temporary, and will fade and ultimately pass away. Yet, the beauty of our eternal home will be forever!

In John 14 verse 2 Jesus describes how, when He ascended into Heaven, He was going to prepare a Heavenly place in His Father's house with many rooms (abiding places). When He comes back for us, the believer (John 5: 25,29) we will enter, with Jesus, into the Father's presence (John 14:3) and our place at the table of God will be prepared. What a day of rejoicing that will be!Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,
Sing His mercy and His grace.
In the mansions bright and blessed
He’ll prepare for us a place.

When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!

While we walk the pilgrim pathway,
Clouds will overspread the sky;
But when traveling days are over,
Not a shadow, not a sigh.

Let us then be true and faithful,
Trusting, serving every day;
Just one glimpse of Him in glory
Will the toils of life repay.

Onward to the prize before us!
Soon His beauty we’ll behold;
Soon the pearly gates will open;
We shall tread the streets of gold.

Eliza E. Hewitt (1851-1920) Words: Eli­za E. Hew­itt, in Pen­te­cost­al Prais­es, by Wil­liam Kirk­pat­rick and Hen­ry Gil­mour
Music: Em­i­ly D. Wil­son

As breathtakingly gorgeous as this water with the dolphins playing is, it does not compare to the crystal clear water in Heaven proceeding forth from the throne of God, the streets of gold in Heaven, the gardens and the mansions and the light in Heaven....

"Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

The New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb
One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.

I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. " (Rev. 21: 1-27)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
John and the Angel
The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.”
“Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.”

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!”

Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near. Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.”

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you[a] this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.

He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. "(Rev. 22: 1-21)

Thank-you, William, for your earthly example of a Godly life. Though I never had the privilege of meeting you, your legacy lives on. Thank-you, Vicky, for the Godly example you set before us all every day! I love you deeply, and am a rich woman for having you in my life!

To God be all the praise, honor and glory!